In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI delivers his message during a meeting of Vatican cardinals at the Vatican, Monday, Feb. 11. Benedict XVI announced he would resign Feb. 28 - the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March.AP Photo

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is a historic moment in the sense that such a thing has not happened since before Columbus discovered the New World. And it’s surprising to Catholics who have never experienced a papal retirement.

Yet, when the 85-year-old pope steps down Feb. 28 because he believes he no longer has the strength of body and mind “to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me,” not much is expected to change throughout the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids.

“Everybody’s life in the church goes on,” Bishop Walter Hurley said. "I’m not sure that who the Holy Father is has a tremendous impact on the day-to-day lives of Catholic people. People live out their faith in their parish communities.

“To the average parishioner, I suppose they would see (the resignation) primarily as a change of leadership in this very large church. What they can do is say their prayers that we get a great pope, which I’m sure we will.”

Hurley said he “was as surprised as anybody else was” that Benedict announced his resignation during a meeting of Vatican cardinals Monday, Feb. 11. Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants, was the last pontiff to resign.

Hurley lauded Benedict’s resignation as being "in the best interest of the church," and suggested it could set precedent for papal retirements in the future.

“It’s a real tribute to the stature of the man,” he said. “He recognizes that the church has some needs in leadership and in oversight and, at his age, he doesn’t feel that he can bring that, so he believes it was in the best interest of the church for him to resign.”

Benedict’s resignation sets the stage for the Vatican to elect a new pope by mid-March, since the traditional mourning time that would follow the death of a pope does not have to be observed. There are several papal contenders, but no obvious front-runner, The Associated Press reports.

Teachers at San Juan Diego Academy in Wyoming were planning to discuss the papal resignation and election at lunch today, then again at a staff meeting Tuesday, Principal Rosa Fraga said. The process provides "a great way to talk (with students) about the whole ecclesiastic hierarchy” of the church, she said.

“(Benedict's resignation) is a surprise to me, but on the other hand it’s wonderful that when we say goodbye to him as a pope, he’ll be alive," Fraga said. "It’s so much better this way, I think. I don’t have to weep.”

MLive readers are reacting to Benedict's resignation and having some theological debate here, and on The Grand Rapids Press Facebook page here.

Among the comments:

Becky Britz, "I hope to see another fair and just pope with a missionary's heart like JPII"

Eric Nykamp, "I want a pope from somewhere in the non-western world, helping the world focus on the needs and contributions of people outside of Europe and the US."

Tom Hager, "My reaction is: who cares?"

Alice Galanski Young, "A lot of people care who the next Pope will be, it makes a lot of difference in the Christian community!"